Aliran is alarmed that the government might be fooling itself or, worse, might become the butt of jokes if it makes good its threat to take action against the country's only news portal, malaysiakini , for the latter's recent April Fool's Day prank .

It would be a pity if the government were to take such a practical joke rather seriously. Besides, there were others, such as a popular radio station, that also told so-called 'lies' to the general public in the spirit of the day.

And, curiously, this radio station has so far not received any warning or threat from the government, which displayed a good sense of humour in that particular case.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Aziz's threat against malaysiakini makes us wonder whether the government is inclined to find a pretext to punish this news portal.

Malaysiakini has provided effective and stimulating space for incisive articles, intellectually challenging letters, and a fair measure of investigative reporting.

Malaysiakini's April Fool prank might have touched a few raw nerves in the government because the news portal had reportedly alleged that three ministers and one menteri besar would be charged for corruption.

This prank must have served as a cold reminder to the public of all the outstanding cases of serious corruption begging to be prosecuted. This must have been malaysiakini's only crime.

Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail, who initially was reportedly alarmed by this prank and was keen to prosecute, decided against it. He later claimed that the local media had misquoted his initial reaction.

Certainly, what is not a joke is that the government has not walked the talk convincingly ever since it made its pre-election promise to go after corruption in a big way.

We sincerely hope that the government's professed commitment to wiping out corruption does not amount to a bad joke.

The writers are the joint coordinators of Charter 2000-Aliran.